Over 20%of Reptile Species Are Endangered
Reptiles are egg-laying animals with backbones and scaly (鳞状) skin. Examples of reptiles include animals like snakes, lizards, and crocodiles. Reptiles are cold-blooded, which means their bodies have the same temperature as the area around them.
A recent scientific report on a new study has revealed some unhappy news — 21% of all reptile species are in danger of extinction. That’s over 1,800 species in all. And at least 31 species of reptiles have already gone extinct.
The main reason these reptiles are faced with extinction is that humans are taking over more and more of their habitats — the places where they naturally live. More land continues to be cleared to make room for cities and towns. Large areas of land are also being cleared so that they can be used as farmland. Logging — cutting down trees for wood — is another big threat to reptile habitat.
When they think of reptiles, many people may think of hot, dry areas. But some of the most endangered reptiles live in forests. The new study reports that 30% of reptile species that live in forests are at risk of dying out. Turtles and crocodiles are among the most threatened reptiles — 60% of turtle species and 50% of crocodile species are at risk of extinction. Humans are a direct threat here, often killing these animals for their skin or meat.
But even if reptiles aren’t considered adorable, they play a very important part in the nature’s food chain. One service performed by reptiles that humans should appreciate is helping control certain pests (害虫) , like insects and rats.
Scientists say the good news is that we know what must be done to protect reptiles. Bruce Young, one of the leaders of the study, says, “We have all the tools we need.” Protecting natural areas, especially rainforest, is at the top of the list. Studies show that saving natural areas doesn’t just protect mammals (哺乳动物) or birds, but all kinds of animals, including reptiles.
1. How many species of reptiles are there in the world?| A．About 8, 600. | B．Around 1, 800. |
| C．Less than 5, 400. | D．More than 10, 000. |
| A．Lack of food. | B．Loss of habitats. |
| C．The change of climate. | D．Threats from natural enemies, |
| A．They provide meat for humans. | B．They help clear harmful insects. |
| C．They are mostly living in forests. | D．They are better adapted to wet climates. |
| A．Restore mammals. | B．Further study reptiles. |
| C．Find efficient tools. | D．Preserve rainforest. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Mobile phones are one of the most useful inventions of the last 50 years, but not everything that is said about them is good. Mobiles are frequently blamed for a number of things, from thumb injuries and headaches to house fires.
The theory is that the bees navigation (导航) systems are damaged by the radiation that is given off by mobile phones. Bees have a built-in system a bit like GPS and this helps them find their way back to their hive. But recently, thousands of bees have failed to find their way home.
The problem was first noticed by beekeepers in America and is a lot more complicated than it at first seems. The important thing about bees is that most of the crops in many countries of the world are pollinated (授粉) by them.
| A．Bees are losing their way. |
| B．Nobody has proved the theory is true. |
| C．More evidence is provided to support the theory. |
| D．It is believed they are dying far from their hives. |
| E．Without bees, the crops can’t continue to grow. |
| F．The situation needs to be evaluated by the world’s best scientists. |
| G．One theory even blames mobile phones for the disappearance of bees. |
【推荐2】On a hot summer weekend, Jorge Ayub saw the public beach north of Boston already crowded with nearly 1 million people drawn to the annual sand sculpture festival. Traffic on the nearby road was heavy, bands played music loudly, and later that night fireworks would light up the beach.
And on the sand were four pairs of tiny shorebirds. These chicks(小鸟) were still too young to fly and a precious addition to the national endeavor to save a bird once down to 139 pairs in Massachusetts. It was Mr. Ayub’s job. “Everyone made it,” Ayub, a coastal ecologist reported at the end of the long weekend over the nests.
Once common, piping plovers(笛鸻) were hunted and then squeezed out of their habitats(栖息地) by coastal development until, in 1986, the federal government listed the Atlantic Coastal birds as threatened. The bird’s recovery has been halting. After three decades, the Atlantic population stands just under the 2,000-pair goal set by federal law.
But the star has been Massachusetts, which has seen plovers increase to 687pairs from 139 pairs in 1986. One reason for that: “chick-sitting” in which conservationists sometimes spend all day watching over the birds.
That progress has made Massachusetts the only East Coast state that decided to relax some Endangered Species Act restrictions: for example, to reduce the fenced-off areas and vehicle limits that have annoyed residents（居民）.
“Look at the stretch(一片土地)，”Anyb says. “We had six nesting pairs between here and that bathhouse 600 yards away. By regulation, each nest should have 100 yards of fencing. We could have put up fencing and closed the beach all the way to the bathhouse.”
Instead, the plovers are surrounded in much smaller areas by “symbolic fencing”. None of the 52 seawall entrances to the beach are closed. “If we put up too much fencing, people will be upset, and they are going to destroy it or walk right through the nesting areas,” Ayub says. “By opening the beach, people are happier and the species does better.”
1. What was Jorge Ayub doing at the beginning of the text?| A．Directing traffic. |
| B．Enjoying fireworks. |
| C．Looking after some birds. |
| D．Watching some bands perform. |
| A．slow | B．Similar |
| C．Important | D．Complete |
| A．It is an important habitat for wildlife. |
| B．It has done well in protecting piping plovers. |
| C．It encourages the residents to keep piping plovers. |
| D．It allows ecologists to test certain species of birds. |
| A．Supportive | B．Disapproving |
| C．Uninterested | D．Doubtful |
【推荐3】The Chinese brake fern (蜈蚣草) — which is native to Asia, southern Europe, Africa and Australia — has a unique ability: It can take in high quantities of arsenic (砷), a harmful heavy metal, from the soil and store it without dying.
Now, a team of scientists from Purdue University has finally unlocked the secrets of how the plant is able to do this. The findings could have important significance because soil and groundwater polluted with arsenic are a potential risk to hundreds of millions of people around the world.
Currently, cleaning up the toxic (有毒的) metal is a laborious and very expensive process. However, the scientists hope that the Chinese brake fern could hold the key to a more effective solution.
“Other researchers have shown that this fern, when grown on arsenic-polluted soil, can remove almost 50 percent of the arsenic in five years,”said lead researcher Jody Banks in a statement.“It takes time, but it's cheap.”
Furthermore, the team said that the new findings could one day be used to genetically (从基因方面) engineer other plants to suck up the toxic metal from the soil, and they should work more quickly and effectively than the Chinese brake fern, thus providing a solution that could potentially reduce the cost and time of arsenic cleanup.
In general, arsenic is toxic to plants and animals due to the fact that it can cause cell death by disturbing a cell's ability to produce ATP, which acts as an energy source. The Chinese brake fern, however, is quite able to prevent the process from occurring, researchers said.
The team identified three genes that exhibit significant activity when the plant comes into contact (接触) with arsenic. When the scientists “turned off”these genes in experiments, they found that the plant died, stressing their importance in protecting against arsenic's toxic effects.
1. What is special about the Chinese brake fern?| A．It can prevent the production of ATP. |
| B．It can be a new source of metal. |
| C．It can only be found in China. |
| D．It can absorb arsenic from the soil. |
| A．To prove the acute poisonousness of arsenic. |
| B．To stress the significance of their new study. |
| C．To show a cheap method of removing arsenic. |
| D．To explain the need to clean up arsenic-polluted water. |
| A．By creating arsenic-resistant soil. |
| B．By improving the Chinese brake fern. |
| C．By changing the characteristics of arsenic. |
| D．By making other plants clean up arsenic. |
| A．They got them to stop working. |
| B．They separated them from the plant. |
| C．They compared them with other genes. |
| D．They observed their functions separately. |
【推荐1】The Most Extreme Travel Adventures In The World
The driest place on Earth: Atacama Desert,Chile
You’ll definitely need the right kind of sunscreen if you plan on traveling through this desert. From October 1903 to January 1918,the Atacama Desert did not see so much as one drop of rain, making it the longest rainless period in the world’s recorded history. Lessly populated, the Atacama Desert has several hotels to choose from that cater to tourists who come to explore the land.
The hottest place on Earth: Lut Desert, Iran
Here, temperatures soar as high as 158 degrees F, so it’s important to have a game plan for staying cool and know the signs of heat stroke in case you develop symptoms. According to a local legend, the name Dasht-e Lut means “toasted wheat” in Persian, referencing a story about a load of wheat that burst into flames after being accidentally left out in the desert for a few days. Though tourists visit this desert land, it’s a destination only for those willing to take on the challenge of surviving the heat and the unbearably dry climate.
The closest place to outer space: Mount Chimborazo,Ecuador
An inactive volcano that last erupted in approximately 550 AD, Mount Chimborazo stands at over 20,000 feet high. While Mount Everest is over 29,000 feet tall, due to the position of the mountain on the earth’s surface, the peak of Mount Chimborazo is the furthest spot from the center of the earth. That also means that standing on it will put you closest to outer space than man can ever reach on foot.
The most isolated place on Earth: Tristan da Cunha, United Kingdom
Looking for a getaway from the everyday? Forget these popular island getaways; this is about as far away from it as you can get. Discovered by Portuguese explorer Tristao da Cunha in1506, the island is home to fewer than 300 inhabitants and has no airport; Tristan da Cunha is accessible only by sea.
1. Which of the followings is a must during your visit to the Atacama Desert?| A．Book a suitable hotel. |
| B．Have a basic knowledge of Martian soil. |
| C．Have a game plan for staying cool. |
| D．Buy a suitable sunscreen. |
| A．The Atacama Desert. |
| B．The Lut Desert. |
| C．Mount Chimborazo. |
| D．Tristan da Cunha. |
| A．By plane. | B．By boat. |
| C．By train. | D．By car. |
【推荐2】Since the age of 5, Laura Lee has had what most would consider an odd habit-she collects toilet rolls. At that time, she didn’t know this habit would eventually become a nationwide recycling campaign.
In December 2018, as a 16-year-old student of Nanyang Girls’ High School in Singapore, Lee founded ToiletRollSG, a national project that aims to collect 1,000 kilograms of cardboard cylinders — or about 150,000 pieces. As of February of 2021, Lee, who was studying at Hwa Chong Institution, had collected 860 kg of toilet rolls, reported Singapore Today. Slightly later, she was awarded Singapore’s National Environment Agency’s Ecofriend Awards, which recognizes individuals for their contributions to the environment, under the Youth and Students category.
But why did she choose toilet rolls? “They are convenient to collect and also one of the purest forms of waste to recycle because they are made of only one material,” Lee told Singapore Today. “Project must be economically practical too. For example, it’s more difficult to recycle pens because they are made up of too many different materials like rubber casings, metals and plastics which require more resources to separate.”
Lee went into a partnership with the waste management firm Veolia, which gives her five cents for every 1 kg of toilet rolls collected.
She organized “toilet roll challenges” within Nanyang Girls’ High School and worked with cleaners to collect used toilet rolls from school toilets. She also conducted talks about ToiletRollSG. But due to COVID-19, she has been unable to conduct physical talks, so she raises awareness about different social causes through her Instagram Live series called On A Roll.
One of the biggest challenges Lee has faced has been others doubting her due to her young age. “I always have to use my actions as well as the different things I’ve done to prove that I’m passionate and know about this,” she told The Straits Times.
Lee will donate the money collected to a social cause that is focused on community health.
1. Why did Lee found ToiletRollSG?| A．To develop some good habits. | B．To be honored by Ecofriend Awards. |
| C．To recycle toilet cardboard cylinders. | D．To make contributions to her high school. |
| A．show toilet rolls are more important | B．prove it difficult to recycle pens |
| C．illustrate the process of recycling pens | D．explain Lee’s opinion on recycling |
| A．The failure to conduct talks. | B．The ineffective cooperation. |
| C．The small amount of money. | D．The mistrust of others. |
| A．Humorous. | B．Responsible. | C．Emotional. | D．Curious. |
【推荐3】The global sea level has risen by eight to nine inches since 1880. Rising sea levels cause an existential threat for some small islands and some low-lying coasts. In a response to this threat, the Busan Metropolitan City of the Republic of Korea, and the company OCEANIX revealed the world’s first model floating city, OCEANIX Busan.
OCEANIX Busan has six integrated systems focusing on energy, food, water, waste, mobility and coastal habitat regeneration to ensure the floating city reuses and wastes as little as possible. The floating city has no roadways to support walking, biking, and autonomous electric vehicles, so it won’t produce any vehicle emissions. Floating and rooftop photovoltaic panels(光伏板) will generate(产生) 100% of the operational energy needed for the city.
OCEANIX Busan will consist of three floating neighborhoods totaling 15.5 acres. That’s about as much surface as a dozen football fields, and according to the developers, it has enough room to house 12,000 people. The neighborhoods will connect to one another and the mainland via bridges, and each will serve a specific purpose. The living neighborhood will have residential buildings, shops and food sellers, and a “community backyard” where residents can gather at its center. The lodging neighborhood will be built to support visitors- it’ll have many shopping and dining options, as well as guest rooms designed to maximize ocean views. The third neighborhood will be a co-working and research center, with a temperature-controlled space at its center for hydroponic agriculture.
“Today is an important milestone for all coastal cities and island nations on the frontlines of climate change. We are on track to delivering OCEANIX Busan and proving that floating infrastructure(基础设施) can create new land for coastal cities looking for sustainable(可持续的) ways to expand onto the ocean, while adapting to sea-level rise,” said Philipp Hofnann, CEO of OCEANIX.
1. What is the purpose of designing OCEANIX Busan?| A．To promote the development of tourism. |
| B．To deal with the threat from rising sea levels. |
| C．To allow people to enjoy the pleasant coastal climate. |
| D．To monitor the effect of climate change on small islands. |
| A．Digital. | B．Flexible. | C．Sustainable. | D．Individual. |
| A．The features of the residential buildings. |
| B．The structure of the floating neighborhoods. |
| C．The difficulties of building OCEANIX Busan. |
| D．The measures to attract visitors to OCEANIX Busan. |
| A．The World’s First Model Floating City |
| B．The Sea’s Electricity Production Project |
| C．The City’s Modern Infrastructure System |
| D．The Company’s Response to Global Warming |
【推荐1】Slang is a popular, less official and often very current form of language. It is an important part of a living language and is constantly changing as language changes. Slang is often playful, direct and sometimes less respectful than the more official and traditional version of language. So now I'm going to lay it on you! To “lay it on” is American slang for “to tell” or “to explain.”
Slang can take many forms. For example, slang can be local to one city or area. In Washington, D.C. there is a whole set of slang to describe politics and business in the city. For example, the term POTUS stands for President of the United States. POTUS can often be found with his wife, FLOTUS, the first lady of the United States. “Inside the Beltway” is a popular expression that describes the area of Washington, D.C. The beltway is the large highway that circles the city.
The Internet has helped create a whole new kind of computer-related slang. An “angry fruit salad” is an expression that describes a website with too many bright colors. “Netiquette” is slang for correct behavior when using the Internet.
Young people often develop the latest slang. For example, to say Special English “rocks” or is “phat” means Special English is really great. A “kegger” is a party where beer is served. If something is “wack”, it is wild and crazy.
Different professions often have their own slang as well. For example, medical workers might refer to a complaining patient as a “gomer”. A “tough stick” is someone whose veins are difficult to find when he or she needs to have blood taken.
No matter how well you speak English, there are always new and interesting slang words to discover. There are entire dictionaries for describing slang. Many experts do not even agree on what is and what is not slang. Often slang words later become a part of officially accepted language. Official or not, slang is an energetic and exciting part of the American language that continues to change.
1. Which of the following is NOT true for slang compared with the official language?| A．Playful. | B．Direct. |
| C．Less respectful. | D．More official. |
| A．if you speak English very well, there is no problem for you to understand English speakers |
| B．slang words are created by people in their daily life |
| C．English speakers are clear whether it is a slang |
| D．slang words will never be accepted as official language |
| A．The internet. | B．Young people. |
| C．President of the United States. | D．Professions. |
| A．What is slang? | B．Slang is popular. |
| C．Who creates slang? | D．Slang is a language. |
【推荐2】The protected lands of the National Parks are some of the most amazing destinations within the United States to have holidays. Here are some of the best.
Mesa Verde National Park
This park celebrates the history of the Pueblo people in southwestern United States.Visitors will find over 4,000 historical sites here, including 600 cliff dwellings (悬崖屋). Some of the best cliff dwellings, such as Cliff Palace and Balcony House, require the tickets for guided tours. These cliff dwellings present a great opportunity for visitors to learn about the history of the region. Besides, adults and children can enjoy hikes, which end in cliff dwelling overlooks.
Rocky Mountain National Park
It’s a super introduction to the beautiful Rocky Mountains. During the summer months when the weather is at its best, it allows visitors to experience all of the nature and wildlife of the area. The park has plenty of paths that take hikers into the backcountry of the Rocky Mountains while children will love the guided horseback tours.
Sequoia (红杉)&Kings Canyon (峡谷) National Park
If you are looking for a wide range of California’s natural sights all in one area, this park is a great option. It varies from deep canyons to tall mountains. Here you can visit the largest fore of scquoias in the world. There are excellent recreational activities for the whole family including hiking, camping, swimming and cave exploration.
Yosemite National Park
It’s recreational enthusiasts’ favorite, especially rock climbers. Climbers travel from around the world to take on the challenges presented at Yosemite. For those visitors looking for different recreational activities or family activities, Yosemite has many programs covering a variety of natural sciences and other topics.
1. What is the feature of the Mesa Verde National Park?| A．It is a base for natural science education. |
| B．It is home to a wealth of wildlife. |
| C．It shows the history of the natives. |
| D．It has amazing mountainous landscape. |
| A．Yosemite National Park. |
| B．Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park. |
| C．Mesa Verde National Park. |
| D．Rocky Mountain National Park. |
| A．Family-friendly. | B．Adventurous. |
| C．Cost-effective. | D．Tiring. |
【推荐3】Reading can be a social activity. Think of the people who belong to book groups. They choose books to read and then meet to discuss them. Now, the website BookCrossing.com turns the page on the traditional idea of a book group.
Members go on the site and register (登记) the books they own and would like to share. BookCrossing provides an ID number to stick inside the book. Then the person leaves it in a public place, hoping that the book will have an adventure, traveling far and wide with each new reader who finds it.
Bruce Pederson, the managing director of BookCrossing, says, “The two things that change your life are the people you meet and books you read. BookCrossing combines both.”
Members leave books on park benches and buses, in train stations and coffee shops. Whoever finds their book will go to the site and record where they found it.
People who find a book can also leave a journal entry describing what they thought of it. Emails are then sent to the BookCrossers to keep them updated (及时了解) about where their books have been found. Bruce Pederson says the idea is for people not to be selfish by keeping a book to gather dust on a shelf at home.
BookCrossing is part of a trend (趋势) among people who want to get back to the “real” and not the virtual (虚拟). The site now has more than one million members in more than 135 countries.
1. Why does the author mention book groups in the first paragraph?| A．To explain what they are. | B．To introduce BookCrossing. |
| C．To stress the importance of reading. | D．To encourage readers to share their ideas. |
| A．The book. | B．An adventure. | C．A public place. | D．The ID number. |
| A．Meet other readers to discuss it. | B．Keep it safe in his bookcase. |
| C．Pass it on to another reader. | D．Mail it back to its owner. |
| A．A new reading habit | B．A social activity of exchanging books |
| C．A new trend of online reading | D．A website that connects people through books |
